Paoli was born in Monfalcone, but moved very early to Genoa.
After several different jobs, he was called by Ricordi with his friends Luigi Tenco and Bruno Lauzi. His first success was the single "La gatta". This was followed by "Sapore di sale", arranged by Ennio Morricone. In the same year he attempted suicide by shooting at his heart, but he survived.
In 1974 he returned with the LP I semafori rossi non sono Dio, followed by Il mio mestiere (1977). Both showed a more mature inspiration than his 1960s works. In the 1980s Paoli procuded a series of successful albums, and in 1985 he toured Italy together with Ornella Vanoni.
In 1987 he was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies for the Italian Communist Party. He abandoned politics in 1992.
He was married with actress Stefania Sandrelli, from whom he divorced. Their daughter Amanda Sandrelli is also an actress.
wikipedia.org
Mediterraneo
Gino Paoli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E nell'ombra di uno scoglio dorme il mio primo amore
Come una barca che dondola allo scirocco
E nascosti nella sabbia, ho lasciato sogni e giochi io
Che trascino addosso a me l'amaro del pianto eterno
Che ha versato in te la gente da Marsiglia ad Istanbul
Per pitturare di blu le lunghe onde d'inverno
Sei pieno d'avventure, di tesori e di sventure
Gli occhi di un bambino che correva
Son cantante e son bugiardo, amo il gioco
Ed il buon vino, sono un uomo nato al mare
Che ci posso fare se
Son nato in Mediterraneo
Son nato in Mediterraneo
T'avvicini e te ne vai, come il sonno di un bambino
Giocando con la marea te ne vai, ma tornerai
Come una donna che profuma di ginestre
Che si ricorda e si vuole, che si conosce e si teme voi
Se un giorno anche per me arriverà la signora
Butterete in mar la barca con un levante autunnale
Lasciando che il temporale apra la sua ala bianca
E non piangete, io rivivo tra la mia terra e un olivo
Lì nella stretta fascia di un monte
Più alto dell'orizzonte vedrò sotto il mio mare
Il mio corpo sarà sale, sarà il bianco
Di una vela e il giallo di una ginestra
Vicino al mar perché
Son nato in Mediterraneo
Son nato in Mediterraneo
Son nato in Mediterraneo
The song "Mediterraneo" is an ode to the Mediterranean Sea, where the singer and songwriter, Gino Paoli, and Ornella Vanoni grew up. The lyrics are a nostalgic reflection on their childhood memories and experiences of growing up close to the sea. The song begins by describing the singer's birthplace on the shore of the Mediterranean and his upbringing on the beach. He recalls his first love, which still sleeps in the shadow of a rock, and how he left behind his dreams and games hidden in the sand.
The song paints a picture of the sea's beauty, adventure, and unpredictability. The Mediterranean is depicted as a place of wonder and enchantment, full of treasures and challenges. Its red and fiery sunsets are something that the eyes of a child, who once ran on the beach, are accustomed to. The singer admits to being a liar and a gambler who loves wine, but he is also a man born by the sea, which he cannot change.
The song's final stanza is a contemplation on the sea's power to connect past and present. The singer wonders what will happen to his legacy when he is gone and when the lady (personified as the sea) will come to take him away. He assures his loved ones, who will throw his boat into the sea in an autumnal Levantine wind, not to cry because he will continue to live between his land and an olive tree. He envisions himself as salt and the colors of a sail and a broom close to the sea, where he was born.
Line by Line Meaning
Sono nato in riva al mare, son cresciuto sulla spiaggia
I was born on the seashore, I grew up on the beach
E nell'ombra di uno scoglio dorme il mio primo amore
And in the shadow of a rock, my first love sleeps
Come una barca che dondola allo scirocco
Like a boat rocking in the sirocco wind
E nascosti nella sabbia, ho lasciato sogni e giochi io
And hidden in the sand, I left dreams and games behind
Che trascino addosso a me l'amaro del pianto eterno
That I carry with me the bitterness of eternal tears
Che ha versato in te la gente da Marsiglia ad Istanbul
That people from Marseille to Istanbul have poured into you
Per pitturare di blu le lunghe onde d'inverno
To paint the long winter waves blue
Sei pieno d'avventure, di tesori e di sventure
You are full of adventures, treasures, and misfortunes
Ai tuoi tramonti rosso fuoco sono abituati
They are accustomed to your fiery red sunsets
Gli occhi di un bambino che correva
The eyes of a running child
Son cantante e son bugiardo, amo il gioco
I am a singer and a liar, I love the game
Ed il buon vino, sono un uomo nato al mare
And good wine, I am a man born to the sea
Che ci posso fare se
What can I do if
Son nato in Mediterraneo
I was born in the Mediterranean
T'avvicini e te ne vai, come il sonno di un bambino
You come close and then go away, like a child's sleep
Giocando con la marea te ne vai, ma tornerai
Playing with the tide, you go away, but you will return
Come una donna che profuma di ginestre
Like a woman who smells of broom
Che si ricorda e si vuole, che si conosce e si teme voi
Who remembers and desires, who knows and fears you
Se un giorno anche per me arriverà la signora
If one day the lady will come for me too
Butterete in mar la barca con un levante autunnale
You will launch the boat into the sea with an autumn east wind
Lasciando che il temporale apra la sua ala bianca
Letting the storm open its white wing
E non piangete, io rivivo tra la mia terra e un olivo
And do not cry, I relive between my land and an olive tree
Lì nella stretta fascia di un monte
There, in the narrow strip of a mountain
Più alto dell'orizzonte vedrò sotto il mio mare
Higher than the horizon, I will see beneath my sea
Il mio corpo sarà sale, sarà il bianco
My body will be salt, it will be white
Di una vela e il giallo di una ginestra
Of a sail and the yellow of a broom
Vicino al mar perché
Near the sea because
Son nato in Mediterraneo
I was born in the Mediterranean
Son nato in Mediterraneo
I was born in the Mediterranean
Son nato in Mediterraneo
I was born in the Mediterranean
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Joan Manuel Serrat
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind